Their Garden of Love
by Emrys MK
Summary: Sequel to ‘Vows of Love,’ and The final installment of my 'When Love Calls' series. Summary inside.


**Title**: Their Garden of Love  
**Author**: Sev1970/MK Malfoy  
**Pairing**: Severus Snape/Harry Potter  
**Rating**: PG  
**Warnings**: Character death, extreme angst  
**Date Written**: May 31, 2008  
**Words**: 2,140  
**Summary**: Sequel to 'Vows of Love,' and The final installment of my 'When Love Calls' series. Severus loses his battle with Alzheimer's and Harry must go on without him. Takes place three years after 'Vows of Love.'  
**Disclaimer**: JK Rowling, Bloomsbury, Scholastic, Warner Bros., and others own HP.

~*~

Harry Potter-Snape stands and walks to where his husband's body now lies. The murmur of the crowd is lessening, and the feeling of impending loneliness is closing in on him. It's been two days since Severus died and Harry isn't sure he can face a future without the man he loves by his side.

He rests his head on the marble and reverently traces his fingers over the engraved words that he knows by heart as he closes his eyes and lets the tears fall. He doesn't want to leave, but knows he will have to do so eventually. Life goes on. His journey with Severus is over and, as much as he wishes otherwise, he knows he can't curl up and retreat from the rest of the world. His granddaughter won't allow him that respite.

The noises and smells around him reflect the early arrival of spring: birds are chirping and flowers are blooming. It reminds Harry of the garden he and Severus kept for so many years: The various plants and flowers had given off similar fragrances, but now, the back yard where the garden had thrived now lay abandoned: a table, two chairs, and two small graves marking the final resting places of Hedwig and Ara, the only remnants of a once thriving space where Harry and Severus had spent hours each day. Opening his eyes and looking around him, Harry thinks that he might want to tend their garden again and bring back the fragrances. Severus would like that.

The arrival of several hands on his back makes Harry smile, and he thinks to himself how he must be the luckiest wizard alive to have such a wonderful family. He loves them and knows that they are now his reason for living. For the previous sixty years Harry has lived for Severus, but now Severus has been taken from him and the emptiness is almost too much to cope with. Harry feels like he has lost his way, and it is almost impossible to breath. He wants Severus. He needs Severus. The memories keep coming and won't stop. Harry never wants them to stop.

_To __Severus__ and Harry -- love each other forever._

Those meaningful and loving words that Albus Dumbledore had spoken sixty years earlier are etched in Harry's mind, and the remembrance of the happy day that had been the reason such sentiments had been spoken causes Harry to wipe away the tears and smile as he lifts his head. More tears will follow, but there is room for happiness and smiles as well. He allows Remus to lead him to a chair and, once seated, he grasps the hand of Lily and watches as his granddaughter tries to compose herself enough to speak. Harry knows she won't be able to do so. He sees Draco talking to his mother. Severus's death has hit his grandson hard, and Harry wishes he could make it bearable for him. He returns his attention to Lily.

"Your grandfather loved you so much, Lily. He wouldn't want you and your brother to be sad for him. He is finally free and has his mind again." The tears are back; Harry doesn't care.

"I can't help it, granddad, I miss him, and so does Draco. Why won't Draco talk to you?"

Harry turns and watches as Remus joins his wife; they both take one of Draco's hands in theirs. Alice is talking and Draco is nodding as tears roll down his cheeks and over his nose. Harry shakes his head and swallows. Severus has touched so many lives.

~*~

Their bed is cold and lonely as Harry sits on Severus's side, clutching the pillow to his face, inhaling the scent of his husband. How long will it linger?

"Granddad?"

Harry looks up and smiles as he pats the space next to him. His grandson is a young man now, but, at the moment, he is the little boy who used to sit with Harry and Severus for hours regaling them with stories he had conjured in his mind.

When Draco sits down, he glances at the pillow, then looks at his granddad. "I'm sorry that Grandfather died and left you, and I'm sorry that I haven't come to talk to you since he died. I didn't know what to say."

All very understandable. Harry sets the pillow back where it belongs and stands. "Come with me." Harry walks down the passage, past the pictures that Severus hung on the walls, through the sitting room, and opens the door that leads to the garden. When Draco joins him, Harry closes the door and takes a seat. Draco sits in the other chair… Severus's chair.

"You and I, we're a lot a like, Draco. We don't deal with adversity or change very well, but I think it's time we did. I miss your grandfather more than I can say. He's not ever coming back. It's okay to be sad about that, and it is okay that you haven't wanted to face me. If I were you, I would more than likely be hidden away in my room." It was the truth. Harry couldn't help the smile. "You have been fortunate and haven't had to face death before. It's a scary thing, death, but if you talk about it, it tends to help." Harry takes a deep breath. He isn't sure _he_ can talk about it.

"I don't think I'm ready, Grandad, is that okay?"

"You don't ever have to talk about it, Draco, but if you do, and if you want to talk to me, I'll be here, okay?"

Draco nods and sighs. Then he removes an envelope from the pocket of his robe and hands it to Harry with trembling hands. "Grandfather gave me this when he first got sick and asked me to give it to you when he died." His face is pale.

Harry takes the envelope and feels his eyes starting to burn. Draco stands, then leans down to hug him.

"I love you, granddad, please don't ever leave me," whispers Draco before he walks back into the house.

Harry watches Draco enter the house, then he looks at his hands. He opens and slowly unfolds the parchment. Tears are trailing down his face; he isn't sure he can do this.

_My Dearest Harry__,_

_As far as I know, there is no text to help someone compose a letter such as the one I now find myself writing. You have repeatedly told me that I have such a way with words and that I always find a long and intellectual word for any occasion, but there are no words in existence to express what you mean to me, and this is not me being sentimental. I have thought about the words that would comprise this letter, and the conclusion I have come to is that if this is to truly encapsulate what and how I feel for you, I need to quote __Albus__. Do you remember the letter he gave us at the reception after we were bonded? His final line to you said these words: let __Severus__ love you. You deserve to be loved and he deserves to love. I was given similar sentiments._

_Harry, my heart is breaking into a million pieces thinking that there will be a time in the not-so-distant future when I will not know who you are. How could I ever forget you? You are the only person who has ever allowed me to know them, and you are as much a part of me as my heart is. We share a soul, but we also share a wonderful life. I love you, Harry James Potter-__Snape__ and I will always love you, even long after my mind has left me. Every look I give you will be me telling you that I love you. Every touch will be me showing you how much I love you. Please do not ever forget that I love you, Harry. Even when you are reading this letter, wherever it is that I will be, I will love you. My body will no longer be with you or able to love you, but my soul will always need and want to love you._

_Be happy. Remember me but do not long for me. I am here, only in a different way._

_Please never let my grandchildren forget me. If I know him, and I do, __Draco__ will not take my death at all well. Please be there for him. He reminds me so much of you and his uncle __Draco__. I need not tell you why this is because we have spoken about the similarities. Oh, for the love of... cease with that horrid habit of rolling your eyes, and do not think for a second that this is not happening. I know you, Harry. You and __Draco__ did have much in common._

_Oh, my little Lily. That I will never get to know my granddaughter as I do __Draco__ leaves me almost bereft. Please assure her that I loved her. She was our little miracle, remember that? I have no doubt that she will be our little scholar as well._

_Remus.__ Oh, Harry, I do not think I have it in me to tell him what is going to happen to me, but I know I must. He is our son, Harry. I never dreamt of having a son and, to this day, I never tire of addressing him as our son. Do you remember when we brought him home? He was our beautiful baby boy and we loved him and raised him as if he were our biological child. To this very day I still miss the little boy that fathered __Remus__. I will always love __Lucius__, and I know that you understand why. I love you all the more for it. I thank him because he made it possible for such an angel to come into our life._

_I do not want to leave you, my Harry. I am scared. Nevertheless, I am __Severus__Snape__ and I will take what life has given me with as much dignity as possible. We have had a good life, have we not? You have given me love and happiness._

_When you are having a bad day and need to talk to me, go visit our little __Ara__. I will hear you, my Harry. I will always hear you."_

_I will say goodbye now. I love you. I love you. I love you._

_All my love,  
Harry Potter's husband and soul mate forever__,__  
__Severus__ Potter-__Snape_

Harry drops the letter into his lap and lets the tears fall until Remus comes to get him when it begins to get dark. Before he goes inside, Harry leans over and touches Ara's grave. He misses her, and he misses Severus. He is led to his bedroom where he sits on his bed. Remus sits beside him as Draco had done earlier.

"Dad, Alice and I want you to come live with us. I know you've said no before, but please, Dad, we don't want you to be alone."

Yes, Harry has said no in the past, and he will again say no, but he loves his son for asking. "Your father and I made this house our home, Remus, and it is where I belong. I love you and I don't want you to worry about me." Harry laughs because, of course, his son is going to worry about him. "If and when the time comes when I need to live with you and Alice, I will, I promise, but for now, I need to be here. I hope you understand."

"Of course I do, Dad. If you need me, you know where I am. I think Lily wants to stay with you tonight but I told her you might want to be alone."

Harry stands and walks towards the bedroom door and looks at his son. "You tell my granddaughter that I would love for her to stay with me tonight."

"I will. Dad?"

"Yes?"

"I love you." Remus walks over to his dad and hugs him. "I hope father calls you tonight."

Harry furrows his brows.

"When father was sick he told me that the two of you could talk to each other through your thoughts. He said it was nice to have love calling him. I wasn't sure whether or not…"

Harry allows the tear to fall. No, Severus hadn't been hallucinating. "We did talk to each other through our thoughts, Remus." Harry smiles thinking about some of those talks they have had.

After Lily is in bed, Harry returns to his bedroom and looks out the window at the garden. Maybe tomorrow he and Lily will plant some flowers and herbs.

Harry gets into bed and turns off the light. He wants to be ready if… no… when love calls.

The End

Some of you might recall that I had thought about possibly writing a fourth sequel to WLCs. Well, I have decided against doing so. Things were wrapped up with this fic and I don't want to mess with what is already pretty much the ending I had always envisioned. I know the sequels were not at all happy, and that they were very angsty, but I will not apologize: it was important for me to write these sequels. They are dedicated to my grandmother, who has had Alzheimer's for almost ten years. I was her caregiver for two of those years and these fics are a direct result of those experiences.

Thank you for following "When Love Calls." No matter what else I might ever write, this fic will always be my heart and soul. Going through and editing the chapters over the past two months has been such a rewarding experience, and doing so has brought to the forefront some wonderful memories… and yes, some not so wonderful memories as well, but the former almost always win out in the end.

MK Malfoy

09-18-09


End file.
